


A Fever, and Tranquility

by wintercreek



Category: Glee
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-24
Updated: 2011-10-24
Packaged: 2017-10-25 14:22:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/271247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wintercreek/pseuds/wintercreek
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Blaine has a fever, Kurt sends him home from school. But his caregiving doesn't stop there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Fever, and Tranquility

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [fanny_moon](fanny-moon.livejournal.com) in the [Beyond_Dapper Mini-Hiatus Exchange](http://beyond-dapper.livejournal.com/230438.html).
> 
> Thanks to [](http://kate.dreamwidth.org/profile)[**kate**](http://kate.dreamwidth.org/) and [](http://were-duck.dreamwidth.org/profile)[**were_duck**](http://were-duck.dreamwidth.org/) for betaing.
> 
> Title is lifted from the following quote: "I want a fever, in poetry: a fever, and tranquility." - James Dickey

Blaine does not believe in missing school. He knows it's only McKinley, now, and he knows Kurt would insist that this is a stupid decision to be making, but Kurt doesn't know and really, as long as Blaine sits out dancing during Glee rehearsal, he'll make it through the day just fine, won't he?

This approach gets him through second period. By the time Blaine meets up with Kurt at their morning break, he's feeling pretty out of it. Kurt does not kiss him hello but instead looks him over intently. "Blaine," he says, "are you feeling okay?"

"Uh," Blaine manages. He can't lie to Kurt. It's on the tip of his tongue to say _No,_ but he doesn't have to. Kurt's hand is already on his forehead.

"You're burning up." Kurt grabs Blaine's arm. "Come on, you need to go to the nurse for Tylenol, if nothing else. Don't argue with me; I'll text your mom and get her on my side if I have to."

Blaine goes with him, feeling dazed. "Wait, Kurt, slow down."

They come to a halt outside the office. Blaine takes advantage of the time to steady himself; he's feeling more wobbly as the day goes on. Kurt is studying him again.

"I think you need to go home," Kurt says softly. "Will you do that? Can you drive yourself? I can take you during lunch, if you want."

"No, no, I can—" Blaine protests as Kurt pulls him through the door to stand before the school nurse.

Kurt clears his throat, and when the nurse looks up he says, "He has a fever. And I have to go to class." He turns to Blaine and looks so intently at Blaine's lips, and then his forehead, that Blaine can almost feel the kisses Kurt would press there, if they could. "I'll call you later, okay?"

Blaine nods. When Kurt's gone, he drags himself over to one of the cots and lets the nurse take his temperature and arrange for him to go home.

* * *

Blaine wakes up in the late afternoon, listless and weighted down with exhaustion but unable to sleep any more. The whole drive home he'd been dimly aware that he shouldn't be driving, but there'd been nothing to do but continue on and finally climb the stairs and fall into bed. He thinks he remembers voices, and someone checking on him but that can't be right: he's remembering Kurt, who shouldn't have been here at all.

It feels like a fever dream, the sense memory of Kurt's cool hands on Blaine's sticky-hot forehead, the sound of Kurt's voice singing softly. It's the best kind of dream, Blaine thinks, because it's what he wishes could have happened.

There's a tap at the door, followed by his mom's voice. "Blaine?" she calls softly.

"Yeah," Blaine manages. "I'm awake."

She's carrying a glass of juice and more Tylenol, both of which Blaine accepts gratefully. When he's done, she asks, "Want to come downstairs? We're watching _Pride and Prejudice_."

"The old one, with Colin Firth?" Blaine turns to swing his legs out of bed, preparing to stand.

His mother smiles. "Yes, the good one. I wanted something familiar to have on while I sorted the filing."

Blaine's mother has never, as long as he can remember, been able to relax in front of the TV without some kind of work in her hands. He's not surprised to hear that she's going through the family records, now, clearing out the backlog that's piled up for the past month. He usually offers to help, putting bank statements in chronological order, but today he doesn't think he'll be able to focus well enough to do that.

"I've got a blanket out for you on the couch, okay? In case you want it." His mother waits for him to get up and they walk downstairs together.

As they're walking into the living room, Blaine hears Kurt's voice. "Maria, you're about to miss the best part!"

"Mom, Kurt's here?" Blaine's not entirely surprised, but he hasn't been expecting Kurt to be in his living room. Maybe it had been more than a fever dream, earlier.

She gives him a fond look. "He called and pointed out, quite reasonably, that he's probably already infected with whatever you've got. I didn't see any reason to keep you apart."

Blaine makes his way over to the couch and lies down, his head on the armrest. Kurt's in the armchair next to the couch, one hand only inches from Blaine's head.

"Hello, sweetheart," Kurt greets him. He reaches over and rests a hand on Blaine's forehead, just as cool as Blaine had remembered.

"Hi," Blaine says, grinning up at Kurt. "You're here."

Kurt snorts gently. "Your fever has addled your brain. Where else would I be?" His other hand is full of papers.

Blaine goes almost cross-eyed, trying to read them. "Are you sorting my parents' bank statements?"

"No," Kurt says, "your mother has those. These are phone bills. Really, Blaine, I thought I was special, but it turns out you text Wes almost as often as you text me!"

"He's homesick," Blaine mumbles. "We're bonding over missing Dalton. Not that we're not happy where we are now – he loves college, and I love being where you are. But it's different."

Kurt strokes his hand over Blaine's hair. "I know," he says. "I'm just teasing you. I shouldn't do that when you're sick."

Blaine looks over to see his mom watching them, affection written all over her face. "Are we ready to watch Mr. Darcy dive into the lake?" she asks. Her finger is poised over the remote.

The movie starts again and they all sigh appreciatively as Colin Firth unbuttons his waistcoat and jumps in.

"His poor boots," Kurt says. "Pulled on over wet trousers. That can't have been good for the leather."

"Wait," Blaine says. "How did you get this far into the series? I haven't been out that long, have I?"

His mother shakes her head. "No, we started in the middle." She laughs. "I'll admit, I was surprised when Kurt suggested it. This miniseries is as old as you boys are."

Kurt chuckles. "And if I suggest that we watch _The Sound of Music_ tomorrow, will that be just as surprising?"

"No, _The Sound of Music_ is timeless," Blaine's mom answers.

Blaine turns his face up to Kurt. "Did you know that Mom saw it when it first aired?"

"Maria!" Kurt exclaims. "How have you never told me this?"

"It wasn't in the theater – I wasn't born yet when it came out," she protests. "It ran on television for the first time when I was six. It's the first movie I remember seeing. It was special, though. It was the only time I saw the whole film on TV, growing up; every time after that they ran a version with scenes cut out for time. I used to wonder if I'd imagined the missing parts, until we got the VHS tapes in the 80's. It took two tapes to hold the movie, but it was all there!"

Kurt sighs. "All right, you're forgiven. But don't hold back on me again."

Blaine sometimes cannot believe that this is his life, that he has a boyfriend who's spent the summer getting to know his mother, just as Blaine has gotten to know Burt and Carole, and who can now sit here and joke. Generally he's able to get his head around it, but something about being ill is making things feel surreal again. He imagines what a day like this might look like in the future, in a home that's his and Kurt's with his mom visiting.

Kurt's hand is back on his head, fingers pulling carefully through Blaine's hair, breaking up the gel. Blaine tips his face up to look at him. The papers he's been sorting are in neat piles on the coffee table. He looks like he belongs here, not just with Blaine but with Blaine's mom.

"Love you," Blaine tells him softly.

Kurt smiles down at him. "I love you, too."

Blaine drifts back to sleep, the sound of the television and Kurt's quiet breathing grounding him.

* * *

Blaine wakes briefly when Kurt leaves, and again when his mom offers him some soup and then sends him to bed. He stays home from school the next day without arguing, knowing he has to be well in time for Saturday's all-day rehearsal of _West Side Story_.

Kurt arrives at 3:30, carrying Blaine's homework.

"How did you get here so fast?" Blaine asks. "Did you speed?"

"I would never!" Kurt objects. "Well, maybe I would a little bit. But carefully. Not anywhere that small children or pets would be present."

Blaine grins. "Okay," he says. "I won't tell your dad."

"Good." Kurt follows him into the house and they settle at the table together. Blaine's tired of lying down after a day of reading in bed and dozing. It feels good to be upright, doing his math assignment next to Kurt.

Kurt plays a little footsie with Blaine, under the table, when he needs a break from his history reading. Once Blaine's thoroughly distracted from the trigonometry he should be working on, Kurt asks, "Where's your shredder?"

"Your history textbook isn't _that_ bad, Kurt," Blaine scolds.

"No, no, I told your mother I'd help her destroy old documents today. Although I suppose I'd better wait until she's here to tell me what to shred." Kurt shrugs. "I guess we'll just have to pass the time some other way."

Blaine stands up. "I could use a little more time relaxing and recuperating on the couch, you know."

Following him, Kurt leans over Blaine once he's seated and kisses him lightly, again and again. "Mmm," he hums. "We should make sure that if I do get sick this week, I've earned it."

Blaine's picturing the last two days with their positions switched, seeing himself at the Hummel house while Kurt convalesces on the couch. If it doesn't happen this week, it'll still happen sometime. It feels grown-up to be thinking about taking care of Kurt, and Blaine loves it. "Yeah," he says. "We should make sure."


End file.
